Fate:Lost Dream
by Vingilot the Sky Ship
Summary: The Holy Grail War. Seven masters and their servants in the form of Heroic Spirits in an all out battle in the city of Fuyuki to claim the Holy Grail, an omnipotent wish granting device. Marcellus Einzbern, Hina Takaharu, Minato Tohsaka and four others will all place their lives on the line for a chance to claim a miracle.
1. Calling Through Time and Space

**Fate/Lost Dream**

 **Chapter 1: Calling Through Time and Space**

The snow whirled around his head, blinding him to everything beyond a few feet. With the wind whiping whiteness all around him, he was trapped in a white void with only the faint outlines of nearby trees breaking the all-encompassing snow. Despite that, Marcellus had no fear of getting lost. This land, the land of the Einzberns, had been engraved in his heart and mind since his birth.

 _It is a poor mage who cannot find his way around his own territory, after all._ Marcellus mused. He wondered what is would be like to have no homeland. There were magi who had to make do with mere houses inside towns, with non-magical neighbors living a scant few meters away. How could you practice magic under such conditions? With no connection to the local ley lines, no real territory to call your own or even a real workshop, it was a deplorable way to live. And soon seven mages would be dropped into the same city. Things were going to get crowded fast.

Abruptly, Marcellus realized the pointlessness of such musings. He had gone for a stroll to clear his head, and it seemed worthless thoughts had decided to nest in the newly empty space. He tsked to himself. His war was beginning in a few hours, yet he was wasting his time with nonsense like this. Shaking his head at his lack of discipline, he made his way back to the castle.

Despite the raging storm, Marcellus wore only a long coat, no gloves or hat. Just as the snowstorm couldn't make him lose his bearings, the cold posed no trouble for him. The frigid wind would have put an ordinary person in danger and made a mage shield themself with an abjuration. But to a child of Einzbern, it felt just right. Marcellus had heard Japan was a far warmer country. It was autumn now so hopefully it wouldn't be too unpleasant. It would be troublesome to have to be bespelled the entire war just to stand the heat.

 _Let us hope that is the worst of my troubles._

The white walls of the castle loomed over him as he approached. The heavy gates slowly swung open on their own power as he walked toward them, the spells on them recognizing him as a member of the family. They shut with a resounding boom once he was inside. The snowflakes in his hair began to melt, soaking his white hair. After the raging fury of the storm outside, the stillness of the entrance hall felt almost unnatural.

"Ah, Marcellus. I had not known you had left the castle."

He followed the voice to its source, a young woman with hair that matched his own and eyes red as blood. She was flanked by a pair of expressionless maids whose hands were clasped in front of them.

"Yes, I wanted to see our land one more time before we departed." Marcellus replied. He self-consciously ran a hand through his damp hair. "Sorry for skipping out on the preparations, Idra."

"No, it was no trouble." Idrasviel said. "The circle has been fully inscribed now anyway. Grandfather insisted that only skilled mages do the work, so I took care of it while he observed to make sure there were no errors."

 _Great. Grandfather was watching?_ "You shouldn't have done that, Idra. Now the old man is going to give me hell, not to mention I ought to be preparing my own summoning circle."

Idra flushed and glanced at the wall. Anything she was going to say was cut off by one of her maids stepping forward. "Master Marcellus, it is not fitting that you scold Mistress Idrasviel. Rather, you ought to be thanking her for covering for your laxity in preparing for the war."

Marcellus suppressed his annoyance at being rebuked by a homunculus, but only because she was right. "True. I apologize, Idra, and thank you."

"It's not like I've done everything." Idra demurely stated, still not meeting his eyes. "The catalyst still needs to be placed on the altar." Marcellus' mind went to the rusty, broken piece of armor resting in a sealed chest in his room. "Hmph. There is that."

"B-besides," Idra's confidence was slowly coming back. "you'll be doing all the fighting in the war while I just sit on the sidelines."

"Your role is important too." As soon as he said the words, Marcellus regretted them. He knew full well Idra's role in the war was a sore spot for her. Sure enough, her faced became as emotionless as the maids flanking her, a clear sign she was upset. She took Grandfather's talk of maintaining decorum to objectionable levels, he had always felt. An awkward silence filled the hall.

Marcellus finally spoke. "I should head over to the chapel. The longer I wait to check in on everything, the madder Grandfather will get." He made to walk down the long hall to the eastern wing of the castle.

"Mark." He stopped, turning back to Idra. "Are… are you sure you want to proceed like this?" She asked quietly. "Are you really willing to risk your life in this battle?"

He had a good guess of what she was really asking. "Don't worry, I will not lose. The Servant I'm summoning is a famous and powerful Heroic Spirit. And I'll be stronger than most of the other masters, too. I promise you, I will not let your sacrifice be in vain. I _will_ achieve the dream of the Einzberns, after all these years."

"I know you will." Idra smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. She bowed and turned away departing back towards her chambers with her maids in tow. Marcellus felt an urge to say something, but when words didn't come he bit his tongue and said nothing. He took a moment to compose himself before continuing on to the chapel. _That's right, from now on I am a soldier of the Grail War. I need to devoted, mind, body, and soul, to victory._ Filled with new resolve, he marched off to face his grandfather.

* * *

Sneaking into the workshop was easy. Hina had figured out how to bypass the wards even before Dad had 'taught' her how to. She tiptoed down the stairs into the basement. She'd told him it'd be a good idea to move the workshop into his much less crowded study on the second floor but he had gone on about connections to the earth and seclusion from outside eyes. Sure, they had neighbors on either side, but they also had blinds. Whatever, just one of those things she'd change once she was the head of the Takaharu family.

At the bottom of the stairs she paused for a moment, listening for Dad's footsteps. He had gone to the store, but he could be back at any minute. She needed to get what she was after and be gone before he returned. Hearing nothing, she crossed over to the bookshelf and began to scan the titles. She knew there was a tome on summoning rituals somewhere… She found it just as she heard the front door open. She took the steps two at a time, hastily throwing back up the wards as she went.

"Hina? I got those yogurts you said you wanted." Dad called from the kitchen. Good, he had gone straight to put away his purchases and hadn't noticed her coming up. "Okay, dad."

"Did you want one?" He asked over the sound of the fridge door opening.

"Uh, no thanks." Hina kicked herself for sounding unnatural. "I'm gonna go for a walk."

"Okay, just be back in time for dinner." Great, that meant she'd have to find another reason to leave the house after dinner if she wanted to do the summoning when her mana was at its peak. And since she lacked the resources of the three great houses, she needed all the boosts she could get. Still, as she headed out to the clearing where she was going to set up the circle, pilfered tome tucked under her arm, Hina couldn't help but have a good feeling. The Holy Grail was going to be hers, she could feel it.

* * *

"Isshin!" Where was that useless boy? Of all the times to go goofing off… "Isshin!" Kagura called louder.

"Lady Kagura, your apprentice is below." A serving man, whose name she didn't care to remember currently, bowed as he indicated the door to the spawning chamber. Kagura brusquely turned from him and descended into the chamber. "Isshin!"

From the gloom of the chamber a voice issued. "Yes, Lady Kagura?" Isshin asked with his usual tone that just stopped short of being disrespectful. "What is it you need?"

"You know full well what I need." Kagura was in no mood to dance around with her apprentice. "I need a better catalyst, more information on the other masters, and more stored mana, to start."

As she descended further, she spotted Isshin through the thin light. He looked up from his work on the altar, another sign of his disrespect. He should have immediately moved to her side the second he heard her calling for him. He ran a hand through messy hair. "This catalyst is a pretty good one, to be honest. Sure, it's not going to get us someone like King Arthur, but the hero we're summoning is an old and famous one. He'll be one of the strongest Servants in the battle, to be sure."

 _We're_ summoning, Kagura noted. Before she could comment on that presumption, Isshin continued. "We have spies and familiars out in droves, but this early in the game it's unlikely most of the foreign masters will have arrived yet. We're certain the Einzbern master is still in Europe and will receive a report when he sets off for Japan. And for your final point, if we want to draw in mana any faster we'll have to abandon secrecy. Is that your decision?"

"Of course not, certainly not before the Grail War has officially begun." Honestly, sometimes she wondered how a boy so seemingly skilled could be so dense. Still, her foul mood abated somewhat, both from his words and from the comforting scuttling noises that pervaded the spawning chamber. While the Matou family had a whole compound, it was in this room that they truly belonged.

"Are you certain this hero will be particularly powerful?" She asked Isshin suspiciously. " _I've_ certainly never heard of him."

Isshin gestured to the knife on the altar. "He is a hero who many other heroes draw on for their own stories. Their fame becomes his, at least as far as Heroic Spirits are concerned."

Kagura didn't reply to that beyond peering at the knife. It was an old, rusty thing, with chips and notches covering its length. While the age of the relic was a good thing, she instinctively disliked placing her hopes in a knife that couldn't so much as cut butter. Not for the first time, she wished her agents had managed to dig up the powerful relic that they had heard rumors of in Cornwall.

Her musing was interrupted by a voice the top of the stairs. "Lady Kagura? Masters Kenshin and Amata are requesting your presence." The serving man didn't descend to her, which in other locations she would have taken for disrespect. But not here, all the servants of the household were terrified of the spawning chamber. Only Isshin would dare enter in anything but an emergency. A wise precaution; if any of them work up the nerve, they would most likely be devoured.

Kagura rolled her eyes. "Tell them I am busy." As if she had time to waste on her children with the Holy Grail War upon them. She needed to devote all of her time and energy on the battles to come, not playing nursemaid. If either of them had shown any talent, then maybe she would have involved them. "Isshin. Review for me the proper verses. I want to be sure you're ready to play your part."

* * *

Naoko crouched at the top of the stairs. If you were in just the right spot, you could hear everything being said in the entrance hall at the bottom of the stairs without being seen. Right now, it was Mother and Father arguing. They had been doing that more and more lately. Ever since Father had gotten that mark on his hand.

"I still don't see why we have to leave." Mother was saying. "The bounded fields around the house should repel any sort of intruder, we are in no danger here."

Father sounded tired. That was happening more often too. He looked worse too, with dark circles under his eyes and despite his oft used quote about Tohsakas needing to be dignified and refined his dress and appearance was sloppy. Naoko wasn't sure he had bathed recently; she knew he was skipping his daily exercises. It wasn't really fair; Naoko still had to exercise until her muscles burned. And she didn't even need to, she could already outrun Father during their laps.

She stopped her fuming and focused back on the conversation. "The bounded fields only guarantee our safety from mundane intruders, not other mages. In the battles to come, this house may very well come under attack by other masters. And our barriers would be as effective as a paper screen against a servant."

Father was talking about the war he was going to fight in. He and Mother were trying to keep it from her, but Naoko had overheard them talking, well, arguing about it a bunch of times. Since Naoko figured wars were pretty important things and she hadn't heard anything about it on the news or at school, she figured it had to be a magic thing. The war was why they were having to pack up their things and leave the house, although Naoko was skipping packing in favor of eavesdropping. She wasn't sure what they meant by 'servant', especially if whatever it was could tear apart the house's bounded fields, but the sudden mental image of a butler wielding a massive sword almost made her giggle and give herself away.

Mother didn't want to go. Really, she didn't want Father to take part at all but when she had suggested he not was one of the few times Naoko had seen Father angry and the only time he'd been angry at Mother. "Even if we can't stay at the house, we don't need to leave Fuyuki. We could stay with Father Kotomine, the church is supposed to grant sanctuary."

"I've already asked him, he won't permit it. To shelter you would be to deny the enemy a weakness of a participating master, instead of defending a defeated one. The church cannot so flagrantly favor one contender in the war."

"He's supposed to be your friend." Mother's voice was bitter, which Naoko understood. Like her mother, she had never liked the priest of Fuyuki Church. He droned on and on about God and stuff and Naoko just didn't care. The only reason they even went was because Father wanted to "maintain good relations with the church" whatever that meant. And weren't priests supposed to hate mages anyway? Frankly, she was glad Mother and her couldn't stay there.

"Before he is my friend, Rikuto is a man of God. He's willing to help us but will not go against his role as a priest and overseer to do so." There was a long pause. "I do not want to send you and Naoko to your parents in Ichikawa but it is the only way to keep you both safe."

"And what about you?" Mother's voice had tears in it. "If we can't be safe here, how will you be?"

There was a faint sound of clothes rustling. "I will be fine. I have trained and prepared for this battle for all my life and the servant I am going to summon will be the strongest the Tohsakas will ever have called forth. I will be quite safe, but there may be times when both he and I must leave the house for battle. That would leave you and Naoko in great danger."

Mother sniffed, her voice sounding muffled. "I can't lose you. I just can't."

"And you won't. I promise you." Father spoke not like Father there, but like the head of the Tohsakas. And when he talked like that, he meant it.

"Naoko?" He called. "Can you really be packing in the hallway?"

Naoko jumped, thinking fast. "No Father, I was just, uh, grabbing something from the bathroom." Somehow Father always knew when she was hiding.

"Well then grab it and hurry up with your packing. You need to be finished before dinner." Oh good, he bought it. Naoko felt a little guilty for lying to him, but not guilty enough to admit what she'd really been doing. "I will, Father."

"Good." Minato smiled. Naoko had yet to realize that while the floor of the second floor hallway blocked her from seeing the entrance hall, it didn't block him from seeing her feet when she stood at the landing. He maintained the smile as Shiori walked into the kitchen rubbing her eyes. When she was gone, it curdled like sour milk. There was still so much he had to do, so many preparations. Minato descended into his workshop in the basement to review the summoning circle one more time. Even the slightest error could mar the summoning.

* * *

"Make sure the lines are drawn properly. With all the alterations we've made to the standard rites, if anything else is out of place who knows what might happen."

John, not looking up from the circle he was very carefully inscribing on the floor, had several ideas as to what might happen. They might get a Servant who wouldn't obey their instructions at all. Or instead of a Heroic Spirit they might get a lesser spiritual being, or a Heroic Spirit too weak to fight in the war, without the benefits of Caster or Assassin. "Are you sure we ought to be doing this?" He asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

Samantha glanced up from her part of the circle. "Are you really asking that _again_? Without a catalyst to ensure we get Saber, we need some other way to give us an edge." She gestured down at the scrolling runes and lines. "This is it."

John shook his head. This time he was going to stand his ground. "We could always summon Berserker. He would probably be even more powerful than Saber. And it wouldn't require you put yourself at risk."

"Summoning Berserker is already a risk." Samantha replied. "The mana it requires is immense and there's always the chance it could break free of my control. Our plan is much safer for both of us."

Yes, the plan. It had been John's idea, at first. He had merely explored it as a thought experiment when the red sigils had appeared on his hand, signifying his rights as a master. He'd played around with various adjustments to the summoning process, seals and binding circles _were_ his area of expertise. Then Samantha had gotten involved.

John absently rubbed at the back of his hand, where the command seals had used to be. It wasn't that he particularly wanted to fight in the Grail War, it was just the idea of sending his girlfriend to fight his battle for him was even less appealing. Unfortunately, she was all for the idea and he couldn't dissuade her. Certainly not after she found the loophole that would let them both take part.

It was simple enough, if you knew your way around magical contracts and seals. John would bind himself to the Servant and supply it mana while also binding Sam to the Servant as its master. She had the command seals now, so with a little modification to the summoning ritual it was certainly possible. But it being possible didn't mean they should do it.

"What about the Servant itself?" He asked her, trying to find a crack in her conviction. "What if it disapproves of us trying to cheat the system like this?"

"What if it likes the idea?" Sam countered. "Until we complete the summoning, how will we know?"

John didn't have an answer to that. Sam gave him a reassuring smile. "Stop worrying so much. This will work, I promise. With you providing the mana I can take out the masters, so the Servant we summon will only need to be strong enough to hold theirs off for long enough to get the job done."

John stayed silent, glancing absently at the precariously piled furniture they had stacked to clear space on the apartment floor for the circle. He wracked his brain for a rebuttal, but couldn't find one that hadn't already been rejected. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. When she smiled like that, he just couldn't refuse her. "Fine. Just be careful, okay?"

"I will. I promise." She said it with so much conviction he almost believed her.

* * *

Marcellus looked everything over one more time, conscious of the eyes on him. Most of the Einzbern had gathered in the castle's chapel, both human and homunculus, to witness the ceremony. Grandfather and Idra were in the front row, his gaze relentless, hers worried. Marcellus carefully checked each part of the summoning circle. There was no need to rush and he only got one chance to perform the summoning.

Hina finished splattering the last few drops of blood on the damp dirt. Though it had rained recently, she had still had plenty of time to draw the circle she had found in the book in cat's blood. The text said blood was the most effective way to create circles, well, that or metal but that wasn't really an option for her. She'd had a hard enough time trapping a stray cat, not to mention the first one had had a collar so she had to let it go.

Kagura stood impassively as Isshin bent here and there to get a closer look at the lines. "Well? Are we ready?"

"Yes, Lady Kagura. I believe we are." He grinned widely, but she would tolerate his youthful excitement. This _was_ a momentous occasion, after all.

Minato fretted, wracking his brains for anything he might have missed. He had the catalyst, the circle was perfectly drawn, he'd checked three times…

John took his place in the secondary circle and motioned Sam to her spot. He took a deep breath and nodded to her to continue.

Marcellus' eyes roamed over the lines until they blurred. Behind him, Grandfather cleared his throat. "Are you quite ready to begin?" He asked with a faint tinge of impatience.

"Yes, Grandfather." Marcellus stepped over to his place and took a long, slow breath to get his heart to stop pounding. This was it.

"Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Repeat five times, but when each is filled, unmake it."

A sense of reckless abandon took Minato. He decided to do the summoning right now, at once. He raised the hand with the Command Seals towards the circle.

"Through the elements silver and iron, the foundations stone and the Archduke of Pacts. And for my great master, Schweinorg."

Hina's heart jumped as the blood began to glow. She almost stammered during the next line of the invocation.

"Raise a wall against the wind and close the gates of four directions. Come forth from the crown and follow the forked road leading to the kingdom."

Kagura's robe stirred as wind began to rise from the circle. Isshin was unabashedly staring at her and it with awe.

"Heed my words. My will creates your body and your sword creates my destiny. If you heed the Grail's call, and obey my will and reason, then answer my summoning."

John raised a hand to ward off the increasing pressure. Sam's voice continued without the slightest hesitation or change.

"I hereby swear that I shall be all the good in the world. That I shall defeat all evil in the world."

Marcellus shook from the force emanating from the summoning circle as mana amassed and surged. He forced himself to be still. He needed to complete the ritual. On the back of his outstretched hand, his Command Seals blazed.

"Seventh heaven clad and the great words of power, come forth from the circle of binding, guardian of scales!"

The power finally overflowed the circle and a bright flash of light blinded the summoner and onlookers.

Marcellus blinked away the spots in his eyes and hurriedly looked back at the circle. There he was. Cool, gray eyes surveyed the chapel before landing on him.

"I ask of you, are you my master?"

* * *

AN: Well, this was an idea I got from a list of legendary items I found on Wikipedia. I ended up making a full set of seven Servants, and then I just had to pit them all against each other. So a few notes on the Servants' identities; none of them have been in any real Fate media and there is one of them that is a different gender than the historical figure. We'll see more of them in the next chapter, good luck figuring them out!


	2. Masters and Servants

**Fate/Lost Dream**

 **Chapter 2: Masters and Servants**

Note: To clear up some confusion, this story depicts a hypothetical Grail War that follows the core principles of the conflict. There are Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Matou masters, the Assassin is a Hassan, etc. All the characters are original, although some are influenced by actual Fate characters. Grandfather Einzbern in particular is Acht, to the point I debated cutting out the middleman and making him Acht himself. But then he'd have been the only non-original character, and I was attached to the idea. Anyway, this is going to be a straightforward Grail War, which come to think of it makes it different from all the official ones.

* * *

Minato swirled his wine glass, more for the distraction than for the flavor. After the summoning, he and his new Servant had come to his study to formulate their strategy for the Grail War. Only, Minato's previous ideas for a strategy were in need of a revision since she wasn't really what he had been expecting.

She certainly looked the part. She wore garments of muted gold covered by a long crimson coat whose tails went to the floor. Though it lacked a sleeve on the right arm, she had a leather bracer to cover her wrist and hand. Slung over her back were a full quiver and an unstrung bow. The Servant herself cut a striking figure. She looked to be around forty, give or take five years, with hair the color of steel, vibrant blue eyes, and a wiry yet strong figure. She was an impressive Archer, to be sure. She just wasn't what he had been looking for.

"Master." Archer began, leaning up against a bookshelf with her arms folded. "You said you wanted to devise a plan for the Grail War, yet all you seem interested in is that drink. Are you sure you're taking this war seriously?"

Minato gave what he hoped was a disarming smile. "Forgive me; I was merely taking a moment to marshal my thoughts."

Archer frowned at him. It seemed she wasn't so easily dissuaded. "If something is troubling you, then you should speak it now, master. Better to air it now than let it fester and rear its head during the battle."

"Archer, you…" Minato wasn't sure how to put it. "You are not who I was expecting."

Archer reached into a pocket and pulled out a piece of wood. "You mean this?" It was a simple chunk of wood roughly round and easily fitting in the palm of a hand. If you saw it lying in the street, you would not have dismissed it as unimportant. It wasn't important enough to even warrant that little of your attention. However, this unassuming fragment had great value and greater history. It had once been a part of a bow, the weapon of a hero. A bow that had slain armies and laid castles low. And so, Minato had chosen to use it as his catalyst.

Archer looked fondly at the wooden fragment before returning it to her pocket. "While it is true this was a piece of my student's bow, I was the one who gave him that bow in the first place. Thus, it isn't surprising that it would call to me as well as him."

Minato rested his face in his hand for a moment as he exhaled slowly. "So after all that effort and care, I still missed something like that." Abruptly, he realized what he was saying and who he was saying it in front of. "I mean no offense, of course. It's just that your student was said to be the greatest archer in all of history."

Archer raised a hand to forestall him, amused. "I can hardly take offense at my own words. It was I who swore to make him the greatest in the first place, after all. I cannot fault you for wanting the product of all my long years of hard work. But master," The amusement drained from her face. "that is not what truly gives you pause. Men ought to speak their words openly and plainly."

Minato sighed. As expected of an Archer, she was a perceptive one. Very well. "Why are you a woman?" He asked, abandoning subtly or pretenses. "You may not be the Heroic Spirit I was hoping to summon, but you should not be a woman either way. In the legends, you were a man same as him."

Archer 'hmph'ed, looking past him through the window out into the night. "The princes I tutored would not have accepted teaching in the arts of war from a woman. Even if they had, the mockery they would have faced from their enemies would have been intolerable. So I masked myself as a man, to avoid that issue altogether. In this conflict, that guise will not be necessary so I have not donned it. That is all there is to it."

"I see." And Minato did. The attitudes towards women in that part of the world, especially back then, entirely justified the deception. Archer nodded agreement. "Now that we've gotten to know each other a little more, it's time we got on with devising a strategy."

"I agree." Minato said. "I'll defer to you in this field."

Archer looked at him, surprised. "Oh? A master that isn't taking charge? That's a rare occurrence."

Minato shrugged. "I am not a sublime warrior with years of experience in war. You are. Victory in this Grail War matters more to me than my pride."

Archer stared at him for a long moment, face unreadable. Minato stared right back. It was true, and if she was really going to argue for less autonomy… Archer grinned.

"I've misread you, master. You impress me with your clarity of thought and insight." Archer held a clenched fist over her heart and spoke with sudden ferventness. "I make this vow; I shall deliver unto you the Holy Grail, or fall in the attempt. Before all the gods I swear it."

Minato was at a loss for words. "Archer…"

She just smiled. "Come, master. Let us chart a path to victory for the both of us."

* * *

The airport was crowded, but even so Marcellus' party stood out. White hair on people under twenty wasn't particularly common and Idra's hair was too long to hide under a hat like his was doing. Add in three identically dressed homunculus maids and the striking presence of his Servant, and they were turning heads. So much for entering the country quietly.

Marcellus vented his irritation at the only acceptable target. "You could have taken spirit form for the trip."

Lancer stood out almost more than Idra did. While his tanned skin and dark hair weren't particularly notable, there was a certain intensity, almost a glow, to him that caught the eye. He'd shed the various pieces of his armor in favor of modern attire, some dress pants and a button down shirt, but even so people were practically gawking at him. "The knowledge the Grail had granted me regarding planes was intriguing. I wanted to experience one for myself."

"Besides, it's not like the ticket was too expensive or anything." Idra took Lancer's side, seemingly oblivious to the stares and murmured comments that followed them. Marcellus glowered at both of them. The unusual group proceeded through customs without incident. Grandfather had objected to Idra's idea to use forged documents rather than mental influencing, but gave way when Lancer had sided with her. It wasn't fair to toy with the minds of the ordinary people, he had said. Since it had worked fine, Marcellus didn't care one way or the other.

The hired car was waiting for them outside. Idra's maids, Mia, Nia, and Lisaret, loaded the luggage while Marcellus spoke to Idra. "You are to stay in the castle at all times, unless I specifically tell you otherwise. The only exception is if the castle comes under attack by the enemy."

Idra's face fell for half a second before she recovered herself. Marcellus didn't prefer it himself, but her safety trumped her desire to explore. Lancer noticed the flicker. "Surely there's no need to confine her like a prisoner."

Marcellus folded his arms, his face a mask. "The last Grail War ended with the vessel being destroyed in the crossfire. I'll not have that repeated." Lancer didn't look convinced; Marcellus retreated to the relative safety of addressing Idra's maids. "And should the castle come under attack, what will the three of you do?"

Lisaret stepped forward. She was the talkative member of the group, the other two were more specialized for combat. Lisaret spoke in a clipped, almost emotionless voice. "We will hold off the enemy and buy Lady Idrasviel time to escape with our lives."

Marcellus nodded, considering the answer sufficient. Apparently, Lancer didn't. "What idiocy is this? You would throw your lives like trinkets?"

Lisaret responded before Marcellus could. "It is the duty of an Einzbern homunculus to offer their life up in service to the family. To do otherwise is to spit on our entire purpose for being." She sounded a little offended he would suggest they should do otherwise.

Lancer gave her a look so withering even Marcellus felt an urge to take a step back. "And when you fulfill your duty and die heroically buying your mistress a few seconds, how will I and my master know who is responsible for the attack and where to look for Lady Idrasviel? Someone that is specifically targeting her will almost certainly know she is the vessel. They will not harm her, or risk damaging the Grail within her." His expression softened. "You should not treat your lives as worthless."

Marcellus considered that. It was true that any assault on the castle that the maids wouldn't be able to drive off would almost certainly be done by a Servant. The maids would barely be able to slow down one of them. And with a Servant, any information would be useful in deciphering their true identity. "You make a good point, Lancer." He turned to face Lisaret and her sisters. "I am altering your orders. While your first priority remains protecting Lady Idrasviel, if that proves unfeasible you are to withdraw from the encounter and escape yourselves."

"But sir-" Lisaret began. Marcellus rolled right over her objections. "Though we have formed a sympathetic link, you and I can only communicate in general emotions. So to exchange detailed information, you have to be alive. At any rate, if an enemy does attack I'll use a Command Seal to send Lancer to the castle in an instant, so the issue will most likely never arise."

Idra was looking distinctly uncomfortable with the conversation, so Marcellus changed the topic. "You know what to do now?"

"Yes." She replied. "The four of us will go to the castle and prepare the barriers and other defenses while you and Lancer familiarize yourselves with the area." Though he'd poured over maps of the city of Fuyuki and surrounding areas, Marcellus wanted to see the region in person. A map was not the land, no matter how detailed. In broad daylight this early in the game, the chances of an enemy attack were fairly slim. "After that, you will return to the castle and we will begin the Grail War in earnest."

Marcellus nodded. "Good." He turned to Lancer. "It's time we were off."

"Very well." Lancer waved goodbye to Idra and her maids. "See you later, Idra." Marcellus raised an eyebrow at the informal goodbye, but said nothing. Lancer had already demonstrated he wasn't big on decorum and formality. As evidenced by his easy adoption of Idra's nickname for him.

"So, where did you want to scout out first, Mark?" Ever since he had heard Idra call him that, Lancer had used that name to refer to him. He said he liked the name, and considering his identity that wasn't terribly surprising, Marcellus reflected.

"The river that divides the city may prove a critical obstacle when traversing the city. We should start with scouting the primary bridge across it."

"After you." Lancer said, giving him a half bow and gesturing him forward. Marcellus sighed and prepared himself for a day's worth of walking around the city.

* * *

Hina tried to get her bearings yet again. This was probably the third time she'd gotten turned around on her way to the church. She really should have just sprung for that map when she had the chance.

"We're lost again, aren't we?" A voice spoke from thin air, low enough that the people around her couldn't hear.

"Shut up." She said, _not_ low enough that the people around her couldn't hear. A few heads turned to look at her quizzically for a moment, then lost interest. Hina flushed and angrily whirled on where she was fairly certain her spiritual companion was. "Look what you made me do." She said, this time keeping her voice quiet.

"You did that all on your own." Rider admonished her. God, he sounded like her dad. Hina grimaced at the memory that thought evoked.

" _No. No no no NO! What is the world made you think I would let you do this!?" Dad was shouting, almost screaming, the angriest she had ever seen him. He rounded on Rider, not caring that the Servant could rip him in two if he wanted. "Why would you have compelled my daughter to do this!? To get involved in this bloodbath for something as ludicrous as an 'omnipotent wish granter'! How_ dare _you!?"_

 _Rider weathered the barrage without shifting his calm expression and folded arms. "You are mistaken. I, and all the other Heroic Spirits, have no say in who summons us. Though, to be fair, I did specifically answer her call but some other Heroic Spirit would have if I hadn't."_

 _That turned Dad's attention back to her._ Thanks a lot. _Hina thought at her Servant as Dad began another tirade. "You are not going. In fact, you aren't leaving this house for any reason since you are grounded until you're THIRTY!"_

 _Hina couldn't stifle the chuckle. Dad gave her a glare that two days ago would have frozen her blood. "And what is so amusing?"_

 _Hina tried to suppress a smug smile. "It's not like you can stop me from going. Not with Rider here as my familiar. Good luck overcoming him." She was being rude, she knew, but he needed to face facts here. Now that she had a legendary hero as a follower, the days of him being able to tell her what to do were over._

" _Actually," Rider said. "If your father refuses to let you participate I will not defy him."_

 _Hina whirled on him. "WHAT!?" She shouted, incredulous. "You were summoned to fight in the Grail War, that's the whole reason you are here."_

" _It is." Rider acknowledged, nodding. He met her eyes and in them she could see steel. Not a violent force, but an unbendable will that could not be countermanded. For the first time, she had some inkling of what being a Heroic Spirit really meant. Her mouth was suddenly very dry at the thought of her having to actually control this man._

 _Rider continued. "You do not need to be on the front lines, or even in Fuyuki at all, for me to fight for the Grail. And as this man's daughter, you will respect his decisions and judgement." He spoke quietly, but even so the words were laced with inviolable certainty. She almost sagged with relief when his gaze moved to her father. "That being said, I do think he should reconsider."_

" _And why the hell do you think that?" Dad asked hotly, but at least he wasn't shouting anymore. Rider unfolded his arms and stepped closer. For a man his size and build, that might have been seen as a threatening gesture but Rider seemed perfectly at ease. "It's quite simple. Your daughter's wish for the Grail is something she is willing to risk her life to accomplish. You cannot deny her that without crushing her spirit irreparably."_

" _She's sixteen." Dad retorted. "She thinks she's immortal and doesn't understand what she's really getting in to."_

 _Hina was going to protest when Rider nodded in agreement. "True. However, she is not in as much danger as you think."_

" _Really?" Rider plowed through Dad's thick sarcasm without slowing down. "Yes. The church dispatches a special overseer to keep defeated masters safe. If I should be defeated, your daughter need merely claim refuge there and she will be safe for the duration. And I swear to you, I,_ _Rodrigo_ _Díaz de Vivar, living or dead, will not let a single hair on your daughter's head be harmed during this Grail war."_

 _Dad was at a loss for words. So was Hina, to be honest. She had been so focused on the act of summoning; she hadn't put much thought into the actual hero she was summoning. So far, Rider was proving to be one surprise after another. Dad looked from Rider to Hina, back to Rider, then at Hina again. He opened his mouth a few times, but didn't say anything. Finally, he found some words. "You truly believe this is something my daughter needs to do?"_

 _Rider nodded. "I do."_

 _Dad let out a long sigh and looked Hina in the eye. "Do you promise to not take any risks and to immediately go to safety if you are ever in danger?"_

" _Yeah Dad, of course." She replied. He looked down at the floor, then at Rider, and finally back to her._

" _Fine."_

"Anyway, we aren't lost." Hina said, back in the present. "I'm just a little turned around."

Rider's ghostly voice chuckled. "I used to say that a lot to my men… whenever we were lost."

Hina didn't dignify that with a response. It took another half an hour and asking for directions twice, but eventually they reached Fuyuki Church. It was a garish thing, not fitting the area at all. Rider seemed to like it, though. "It has been far too long since I have been in a house of God." He said as Hina looked the building over.

"Yeah? Why's that?" Hina asked absently while she tried to figure out what she was going to say once inside.

Rider chuckled warmly. "Battlefields often have a short supply of places of worship."

"I suppose so." Hina pushed open the heavy doors. The inside of the church was empty and seemed pretty normal, but something was setting her on edge. She couldn't say what, but there was a distinct sense of menace in the air. That made sense though, right? She was a mage and the church was opposed to magecraft. So it made sense she would feel threatened in a bastion of the Holy Church.

"Hello there." Intruding into the quiet, an elderly priest entered the chapel from a side door. He looked to be about in his fifties or sixties, with gray hair and a lined face. Despite that, his steps were quick and sure, so he was probably still physically fit. He greeted her with a friendly smile. "I am Father Rikuto Kotomine. How may I help you today?"

Hina swallowed her nerves. "Hi. My name's Hina Takaharu. I'm here about… something secret."

The priest raised an eyebrow. "You are here for confession?"

"Not exactly." Hina glanced around the empty chapel. It seemed safe enough but you never knew… "Is there some place more private we could talk?"

Father Kotomine frowned. "I am afraid I am rather busy at the moment. I have no time to humor your mystery games. Good day to you." He turned to leave, a clear dismissal.

"Before we go, Father, would you mind if I took a moment to pray?" Rider asked gently, materializing as he did so. He was a tall man with a long brown beard. A mail suit covered his upper and lower body and was itself covered by the tabard he wore, emblazoned with a golden dragon. A sword was belted around his waist, the hilt unadorned and unremarkable. As far as Noble Phantasms went, it was an unimpressive thing.

The priest stared flabbergasted at Rider for a moment before composing himself and looking back to Hina. "I take it that you are one of the masters of the upcoming Grail War?"

"Of course." Shouldn't he have been expecting her? Hina waved to the knight next to her. "This is my Servant, Rider."

"I see." Kotomine raised a hand to cradle his chin, thinking. He still looked a bit surprised. "To answer your question, Rider, this is a house of God. It is always open to those who seek to commune with Him."

Rider nodded his thanks and slunk into a nearby pew. He clasped his hands in front of him and bowed his head, mouthing words Hina couldn't hear. Kotomine addressed Hina. "I'm surprised to see you here. With the war about to begin, most outside masters would be fortifying themselves in their new bases of operation."

"Well, shouldn't we masters come by to ensure we know the rules of the war?" Hina asked.

The priest looked as surprised as when Rider revealed himself. The astonishment gave way to a rueful face. "Oh dear. It seems we have a lot to talk about."

* * *

AN: Another week, another chapter down. So, I couldn't help giving out one Servant's identity early on, but the rest will keep that card closer to the chest. The hard part about this chapter was trying to describe what being on the receiving end of a Charisma skill is like. Since Rider was a popular military commander with a large following in life, he's got B rank Charisma, which is how he won over Papa Takaharu so easily.

Leave a review letting me know what you think, or if you have any suggestions.


	3. Clash of Gods

**Fate/Lost Dream**

 **Chapter 3: Clash of Gods**

The sun was drifting below the skyline in Fuyuki when Lancer turned back to face his master. "It's getting late. If we do not intend to engage the enemy tonight, we should withdraw to the castle."

Marcellus deliberated for a moment. The safer practice would be indeed to wait out a few battles, both to observe some of the enemy Servants in action and to keep Lancer's own abilities hidden. But something inside him rebelled. He had not trained his entire life and crossed the world to cower in his home and peer through the eyes of familiars. As a compromise, he pointed ahead of them at the skyscraper that rose like a monstrous steel pillar from the earth.

"I want to investigate that building first." Lancer appraised the structure with a critical eye. He noticed the missing windows, the dirty, grungy exterior, and, most importantly, the signs on the fence surrounding it. "A condemned building?"

"Notice the date." Marcellus gestured to the bright yellow sign. "This structure's slated for demolition in three weeks. Until then, it's merely an abandoned building in a crowded area."

A sly smile bloomed on Lancer's face. "In other words, a place where you could expect not to be bothered much, but an enemy wouldn't be able to attack overtly without exposing the war."

Marcellus nodded. As expected, Lancer was a perceptive one when it came to strategy. "Exactly. These sorts of places are where most of the outsider masters will set up shop. We should make sure no one is in residence." He shrugged. "Even if there's no one here, it's a decent vantage point to survey the city as a whole."

"True." Lancer said, convinced. "Let's take a look."

In the growing gloom, it was easy to hop over the fence with a little reinforcement unnoticed. The interior was a dilapidated ruin. Several walls had been knocked down and there was rubble strewn here and there. A pair of vagrants were camped out in what was once a foyer, but a simple hypnosis spell convinced them to seek alternative accommodations for the night. Lancer waited patiently as Marcellus sent a familiar into the basement, but it detected not even a hint of mana, much less human habitation. With that failure, Lancer easily forced open unresponsive elevator doors and lightly hopped through the hatch in the elevator car's roof.

"Shall we?" He held down a hand for Marcellus. He easily lifted the young man, like he weighed no more than a bag of groceries and in one motion pulled Marcellus into a bridal carry. Marcellus' pride chafed at that a bit, but it was necessary for what was to follow.

Lancer tensed, bent his knees, and flew. Floors whistled past them as they ascended. When they began to slow, Lancer kicked off the wall and sent them hurtling up again. They reached the top floor in a matter of seconds, Lancer landing lightly and gently setting Marcellus down. Then it was a quick walk up the nearby staircase to get to the roof. The wind swirled Marcellus' hair and the lights of Fuyuki glittered like a million stars below them. For someone who had lived in relative isolation for most of his life, Marcellus had to admit it was an impressive sight.

Suddenly, he stiffened. They weren't alone up here. He whirled to see a woman sitting in a lotus position with her eyes closed about twenty meters away from them. She had gray hair and was wearing a simple red jacket and jeans. She looked a bit like some of the older looking homunculi in the Einzbern castle, aged but still obviously physically capable.

And, of course, she was obviously a Servant. Power radiated off her, her body almost seethed with mana. And even if it hadn't, this presence could not possibly be anything other than one of the greatest of humanity throughout all of time.

Lancer spoke first. "Hello there." He actually waved at her, like they were new friends. "Are we perhaps intruding?"

The Servant's eyes opened. Piercing blue orbs danced over the two of them and Marcellus got the distinct impression she had looked through him somehow. "Not at all. I was meditating here, true, but this is unclaimed ground so you committed no fault coming here."

"I see." Lancer replied lightly. "We just wanted a quick look around, then we'll be going."

"Lancer." Marcellus murmured quietly, trying (likely in vain) to keep the enemy Servant from hearing him rebuke his Servant. "What are you doing?"

Lancer folded his arms and looked down at him. "You said you wanted check to see if this was an enemy base and to survey the city from here. She has just confirmed no master has set up shop here, so all that is left for us to do is to get our look and be on our way."

"Hoh?" The enemy Servant steepled her fingers and peered at Lancer over them. "You're willing to back down without a fight, Lancer? Is it not the goal of a Heroic Spirit summoned by the Grail to defeat the other six Servants as quickly as possible?"

"Not so." Lancer replied lightly. "I imagine there are at least some Heroic Spirits who would prefer to thoroughly enjoy the battles over a long period of time, or ones who have some goal that defeating the others is not needed to achieve."

"And are you one of those Servants?"

Lancer smiled. "Maybe."

The enemy Servant returned the smile, though hers was tinged with regret. "Unfortunately, I am not." A hail of bullets whipped toward them.

They weren't really bullets, of course. The mystery that is a Heroic Spirit grows stronger with age. To be considered among the ranks of one that would be summoned to compete for a treasure as grand as the Holy Grail is simply beyond those existences that are only a scant few hundred years old. Not to mention that the quality of humans has declined as the ages pass, with fewer and fewer achieving the fame and power required to become a true Heroic Spirit.

But what else would you call them? Small stones launched at ballistic speeds designed to kill their targets, whether they were shaped metal shells fired through chemical power or pebbles from the ground thrown by hand. Though it should be impossible, the enemy Servant turned pieces of the derelict roof into lethal weapons. Equally impossible is the ease with which Lancer dodged them all without so much as moving from his position. He lived up to the inhuman agility of the Lancer class.

As suddenly as it began, the barrage ceased. The enemy Servant raised an eyebrow at Lancer. "What are you doing? With your speed, you should be able to press the attack on me easily. Yet you do not advance a step. Do you intend to simply abide my attacks, Lancer?"

"When I am attacked, I respond in kind. But Archer, I have a hard time accepting some pebbles as an attack." That is only reasonable. To Lancer, a hero who has waded through war and slain the dragon, such a haphazard method of assault could not possibly be considered an attack. Even from the Archer, who alone could make such a method of assault sufficient to mow down ordinary soldiers.

Lancer's answer amused Archer. She rose smiling. "Very well. Then let us begin our true battle in earnest." With a surge of mana, her grab was replaced with garments made for battle and her bow. Lancer responded in kind, donning the patchwork pieces of armor he wore. Bracers, greaves, a pauldron on one shoulder, a scarf that covered the lower half of his face. But what was most impressive was the spear. Eight feet long with a crossbar to prevent a strike from sliding down the blade, it was unadorned like the armor. Even so, it was very obviously a deadly weapon, the kind wielded by a master warrior.

Archer's bow was the same sort of weapon. It looked like a well-crafted weapon, but that was all. So then, it wasn't her Noble Phantasm. Or at least not in its current state. Marcellus frowned. As the master, his role on the battlefield is to serve as intelligence, the most crucial of that being identifying the enemy's true name. Since the Noble Phantasm is the manifestation of the hero's fame, it is the key to uncovering their identity. _So, if it is not the bow, then perhaps a special arrow? Or is her Noble Phantasm some ability or technique?_

Marcellus' musings were interrupted when, in a single fluid motion, Archer drew an arrow and fired. Though his reinforced eyes had been able to track the paths of the bulletlike stones, this arrow was another matter. It vanished from his sight, becoming no more than a silver blur. And yet, Lancer's spear snapped up unerringly and deflected the lethal shot.

The exchange confirmed the unpleasant truth to Marcellus. He cannot hope to defeat a Servant, or even impede them in any significant way. For one who has lived preparing for this battle, this is a fact he had been well aware of. Even so, in the depths of his heart the hope that it was not so, that he could achieve victory even should Lancer fall had lingered. No longer.

The single arrow was enough to spell certain death for Marcellus and Archer drew and fired a dozen more in mere seconds. Not only that, she had darted left and right as she did so, altering the incoming trajectories of the arrows to make them harder to defend against. Nevertheless, Lancer guarded himself and Marcellus from them all and was advancing towards Archer when the woman lowered her bow, an arrow still nocked.

"I see." She said, appraising Lancer with new insight. "Your movements are sharper and faster when deflecting the shots aimed at your master. You have a Noble Phantasm or some sort of skill that heightens your abilities when acting in defense of another, correct?"

 _Damn. She figured that out? And after such a short exchange too…_ Marcellus revised his evaluation of Archer's abilities. If she was able to identify Lancer's Guardian KnightAbility from only the differences in how he deflected some arrows, then she was a highly experienced warrior, even among the ranks of Heroic Spirits. Her true identity must then be a warrior with many years spent on the battlefield to hone her perception.

Lancer straightened up from his combat stance. "It's true, Archer. If you wish to prevent my ability from taking effect, then simply don't aim for my master." He sounded a little angry, anger that was not directed at Archer but rather Marcellus.

Lancer was a contradictory being. He possessed a blessing that enhanced his power when protecting someone else, so the optimal way for him to fight would be to dangle a tempting target in front of the enemy, like his master, and then defend it. But were he the sort of man who would be willing to put others in danger for his own gain, he would never have been worthy of the blessing in the first place. He had strongly opposed the idea of Marcellus accompanying him onto the battlefield. Marcellus only overcame his obstinance by insisting he had intended to go even before knowing about that skill, and that he had dedicated too much of his life to preparing for the Grail War to observe from the sidelines.

"Hmm, that's an option." There was something in Archer's eyes Marcellus distrusted. "Or, I could simply overcome the increase in your parameters." She sprang away to the very edge of the rooftop, slipping the arrow back into her quiver. She began to chant words in a language Marcellus couldn't begin to understand, but recognized all the same.

"Lancer! That's the language of the gods! She's trying to cast extremely powerful magic." Lancer didn't react to Marcellus' warning in any acceptable manner, such as leaping forward to skewer Archer or grabbing him to beat a hasty retreat. Instead, he lowered his spear and watched as a glimmering arrow formed out of the air in Archer's hand. "Lancer!" Marcellus cried again, danger too imminent for him to worry about keeping fear out of his voice.

"Worry not, Mark." Lancer said. He looked back and gave him a reassuring smile. "The Lord protects." Archer drew back the arrow, now almost leaking the mana packed so densely inside it.

" **Brahmastra: O Brahma, Destroy my Foe."**

She fired the arrow made of mana and devastation. Lancer raised a hand. The light blinded Marcellus.

* * *

Hina sat on a tombstone, deep in thought. Most of what the priest had told her was contrary to her expectations, but sounded true and made sense. She thought the blue bloods would cling to their much vaunted honor and respect for traditions, but it made sense for them to disregard them to claim an omnipotent wish-granter. Not surprising really, better people than those uptight nobles would do worse than disregard some unwritten rules for their heart's desires.

She had talked with Father Kotomine for nearly a few hours about the rules of the Holy Grail War, and the gist of it all was there are no rules. The Church suggested some guidelines the master were supposed to follow, but Father Kotomine had been pretty upfront with how he didn't actually expect anyone to follow most of them. The only restrictions he made clear would be enforced were keeping magic a secret and Fuyuki Church being a sanctuary for defeated masters. The former all mages were in favor of anyway, and the latter was only a 'rule' in that any mage who attacked the territory of the Church would be hunted like an animal by the Inquisitors.

Father Kotomine had answered all her questions and supplied extra information and advice freely. He had also banished her from the church's grounds until the end of the war or unless she surrendered her rights as a master and dismissed Rider. She had wandered a little ways off and settled in the nearby western graveyard to chew over what she had learned.

She had to reevaluate her plans based on this new information. There were suddenly a number of new options for her, as well as new weaknesses she needed to address. She had expected her home base to be safe from attack, but Father Kotomine had thoroughly established that was not so. On the other hand, she hadn't put much thought into attacking the other masters' bases. At least three of them had permanent residences around the city, if she could figure out where those were…

Rider, aside from when he had chided her for mistreating a grave, had stayed silent since they left the church. She didn't think it was from anything the priest had said, he had been like that since before when he went to go pray. He was probably already aware of the cutthroat nature of the Grail War anyway. Hina reflected on how he and her dad had said she didn't know what she was getting into.

Night had already fallen and Hina was getting a little cold. "Let's go." She said to the invisible Rider and hopped off the tombstone. She made her way through the gloomy graveyard, her mind still awhirl with ideas and plans for the war.

"Well, I hadn't expected finding one to be this easy." A female voice said behind her. Hina whirled around to see a woman in a suit stepping out from behind one of the taller grave markers. She had short blond hair with a predator's gaze and Hina could sense the magic within her.

 _Wait a minute. A foreigner mage, here? Now?_ The woman smirked at Hina's expression and raised a hand adorned with two red sigils. Hina's fists clenched and she readied a quick spell. Looks like she had been found by an enemy master all right. Her magic circuits surged and power flooded into her limbs as her reinforcement spell took effect. The enemy mage raised a hand that appeared to be grasping something but was clearly empty. They stared off for what felt like an hour, but was likely only a few seconds.

Hina shot forward with her boosted muscles, aiming a punch at the enemy's stomach. Before she even got close, something smashed into her and threw her backwards. She rolled and tried to right herself before being battered again. The enemy master laughed. "Wow, this is pitiful. I think taking you out this early would almost be a mercy."

She advanced and Hina scrabbled away on her back, desperate to get some distance to think of something. _Okay, she's got powerful ranged attacks but might just be weak in close quarters. But I can't get past those ranged spells to start clobbering her, so what do I do?_ Unfortunately, nothing came to mind.

And she was out of time. A ball of scything wind had formed in her enemy's hand. With a final smirk, she lobbed it at Hina. Hina knew she couldn't dodge it on the ground like she was or defend against magic of that caliber, but she would at least face her death head on with open eyes.

A sword neatly cleaved the winds in half.

The rest of Rider materialized in between the two of them. He slowly raised his sword to point at the woman's heart. She spent a second looking stunned before crying out. "Saber!"

Rider lunged for her only for his blade to be halted by another one, held in an armored fist. Rider and the newcomer blurred, the sounds of clashing steel ringing out. After several exchanged blows Rider leapt backwards to stand by Hina, finally allowing her to get a good look at the new Servant.

He had blond hair like his master, standing tall and regally. His armor was beautifully ornamented full plate, with a fleur de lis engraved onto the metal of his breastplate. The sword in his hand had a golden hilt with a jewel set in the end. He looked every inch what a knight was supposed to be. Hina couldn't help but compare him to the scruffy looking Rider standing in front of her.

"You're Saber then." Rider said lightly. "Or at least, I hope you are. Being outmatched in swordplay by Archer or Caster would just be embarrassing."

"And you fight with a sword, reason, and courage, so you must be Rider." The blond Servant replied. Unlike Rider, whose sword was held limply at his side, Saber was keeping his weapon up and ready to attack or guard. Hina couldn't help but be impressed with his dignity and decorum, so unlike her Servant.

"True." Rider answered. He gestured with his sword. "So, how do you want to do this, Saber? Shall we rumble right here and now?"

"Of course." Saber said flatly. "This place is free of outside eyes and interferences, so there is no reason to relocate."

Rider shrugged. "Eh, fighting in a graveyard is a bit distasteful but alright. If you insist." He raised his sword into a fighting stance, the blade's hilt near his face. "I'm not fool enough to think I can beat a Heroic Spirit of the sword at bladework, so I'll need a bit of an edge here. **Tizona.** "

Rider's sword pulsed with light for a moment then faded back to normal. She hadn't seen many (or any) other Noble Phantasms, but Hina was willing to bet they were more impressive than that. Across the way, Saber's eyes narrowed and he gripped his sword with both hands. The two Servants stared each other down.

With a resounding clang, their swords collided. Hina blinked. She hadn't even seen either of them move. As blades danced and clashed, she focused more of her power into reinforcing her eyes to heighten her vision. She slowly became able to track the lightning fast strikes and parries.

Saber fought with elegant artistry, his every motion perfectly arranged to not waste any effort or time. He flowed from attacking to parrying like water, always keeping ahead of Rider's sword. Rider for his part fought with more savagery and force. His attacks were simple and straightforward, easy to read even by a complete novice swordsman like Hina. Everything he did was simply deflected and swept aside by Saber's skillful swordplay.

And yet, Rider was the one advancing and Saber was the one being driven back. Though Saber's obvious skill should have been enough to take the initiative, he kept making almost imperceptible pauses in his movements. Rider, by pressing his advantage in those moments, was taking control of the flow of the battle. Saber seemed aware of this and the next time their blades locked he mustered up his strength and threw Rider back. Rider regained his footing but didn't immediately resume the fray.

"Saber," The enemy master spoke into the silence. Her earlier arrogance was completely gone, her voice almost trembling. "Rider is too fearsome, we should withdraw for now."

"No." Saber said faintly, not paying her much mind. He looked to be deep in thought. His eyes drifted over Tizona and he straightened up. "I see. Calm yourself, Sam. The enemy is not fearsome, but fear inducing. Am I right, Rider? Your sword not only boosts your parameters, it creates fear in your opponents."

"Damn." Rider said ruefully. "You figured that out pretty quick."

Saber grinned wolfishly. Unraveling the mystery of Rider's power had returned his confidence. "That's not all I know. There's only one hero with the sword Tizona, El Cid Compeador."

 _Damn._ So using his Noble Phantasm had revealed his identity. Well, El Cid's legend didn't have any glaring weaknesses to exploit and Rider said he needed the boost, but even so. Having the enemy learn his true name so easily couldn't be anything but bad.

"Hmph. Well, it can't be helped that I'm too famous to stay a secret." Rider took having his critical secret uncovered surprisingly in stride. "Hey, don't the rules of chivalry dictate you give me your name after being given mine?"

"You didn't give me your name; I found it out all on my own." Saber retorted, sounding almost a little petulant.

"Well, then I'll just have to guess." Rider rubbed his chin with a hand. "You bear the emblem of a French knight, one first established by Charlemagne." Saber twitched at the name and Rider noticed. "Oh? Did I get it already?"

"No." Saber's voice was low and tightly controlled. "I am not his majesty, Charlemagne."

"Then you are one of his knights." Rider made the obvious connection. "Perhaps one of his paladins, considering you needed at least some renown to become a Heroic Spirit."

Saber shook his head angrily. "Enough riddles, Rider. Let us finish our duel." He raised his sword into a stance. "If you are using a Noble Phantasm, then I shall match that." His sword began to faintly glimmer.

"Actually, I would prefer to have a word with the two of you." A voice echoed from out of thin air. A Servant materialized floating air above them.

Whoa. He was _hot._ He looked like a model, or even three or four models crammed together into a perfect looking guy. Normally, Hina thought beards like his looked stupid, but this guy could really pull it off. The same was true of his old fashioned, floor length wizard robes. On anyone else they would look quaint and ridiculous, but he only looked mysterious and alluring. Suddenly Hina realized her mouth was open and shut it as the new Servant floated down to stand off the path, forming a triangle out of the three Servants.

"What do you want, Caster?" Saber asked irately.

"Saber!" Sam admonished him. "He's been nothing but polite. You shouldn't be rude." Saber looked back at her. Hina couldn't see the expression on his face, but his body language looked incredulous.

Caster spoke, his voice deep and rich. Hina found herself wishing she could record it to listen to it later. "My desire is quite simple. I wish to acquire allies for the battles to come. You both are skillful, upright knights and would make dependable comrades. Even if we are unable to reach a compromise regarding claiming the Grail, we can still eliminate the other contenders together before battling each other."

"Hmm. Not surprising for the Caster to seek out help. Have to shore up your weakness in battle somehow, right?" Rider said. Hina glared at his back. He was honestly going to antagonize a possible ally like that? What was he thinking? Caster himself didn't seem to put out by Rider's insult. "Pray you do not learn exactly how strong I am, Rider."

Rider laughed heartily. "Well said. Even so, I must decline. I have no intention of allying with someone like you."

"Rider!" Hina stomped up to him. "We could use allies! What do you mean, someone like him?"

"I meant someone who would actually put magical compulsions on the masters of his would-be allies." Rider said matter of factly. He glanced over at Caster. "You could knock that off at any time, by the way."

 _Wait, magically compulsions?_ Hina just realized, she was attracted to Caster despite most of his appearance being a turn off. Was he really…?

"Ah." Even when she aware of the spell, Hina didn't seem able to resist it much. Caster still looked pretty damn good. "My apologies. It is simply an effect I have on women. There's nothing I can do about it."

Saber glared at him. "Wait. Are you seducing our masters, you bastard?" His grip tightened on his sword. Behind him, Sam shook her head as if trying to clear it.

"Seems that way." Rider cocked his head. "You are doing a remarkably poor job of getting us to want to fight alongside you, Caster."

"Perhaps if we withdrew away from your masters we could discuss the matter without my power accidently influencing their thoughts?" Caster offered. Saber shook his head. "If you think I'd leave Sam alone with two nearby Servants, you-"

As if on cue, all threes Servants and Sam turned towards the city. Hina looked that way as well, but saw nothing. There was a faint trace of mana, but that was all.

"It would seem" Rider began. "we are not the only Servants clashing tonight." Hina realized her mistake. It wasn't that the mana was weak, it was coming from far away. That she could sense it at all spoke volumes about how much there was.

"Indeed." Saber said. He frowned at something. "Odd, their mana feels…off somehow."

Caster narrowed his eyes. "Yes. That is not a simple clash of power, there are 'concepts' involved. If I had to guess, I would say it was a concept of destruction being matched by one of defense."

"Impressive." Rider said. He looked back to Caster. "I can see why you wanted meat shields, if the other Servants are capable of that."

Caster sighed. "Are you quite sure you don't want to be allies? It would increase all our chances of winning."

"No way! You creep!" Hina shouted at the bastard. Rider grinned at her words. "Sorry Caster, but you heard my master. No partnership for us."

"I see. And you, Saber?"

Saber spoke before his master could. "Not a chance. I have no interest in having any more mages around me than is absolutely necessary."

"Very well." Caster rose off the ground in a gust of air. "My offer will stand for some time, if you should change your mind. Farewell, brave knights." He vanished into spirit form. Hina felt something shift in her brain, her mind clearing away an obstruction to her thoughts she hadn't even noticed.

"Right." Saber leveled his sword at Rider again who sighed. "Actually Saber, would you mind taking a rain check for today? Caster's interference killed the mood and I need to have words with my master anyway."

Saber opened his mouth to protest then reconsidered and thought for several moments. Finally, he nodded. "It is as you say, cutting you down right now would be unsatisfying. However, the next time we meet it will be to the death. Agreed, El Cid?"

"Ha. Agreed, paladin of Charlemagne."

Saber turned to leave. His master protested. "Hold on Saber, we can't just let the enemy walk away like-"

"Silence, Sam." Saber interrupted. "I have made my decision. I am leaving, though you are welcome to stay if you'd like." There was a pregnant pause where Hina was convinced Sam was going to use a Command Seal to force Saber to continue fighting, but she let it go and followed after him.

Hina sagged with relief as the adrenaline flowed out of her. So that was a battle in the Holy Grail War. They had done pretty well, she thought. They hadn't won but hadn't lost either, so it was okay for a first go. Or so she thought, before Rider looked her dead in the eyes with a stern expression. "We need to talk."

* * *

Marcellus blinked. He was, surprisingly, not dead. The power of Archer's Noble Phantasm was enough to have blown the entire building away, yet it hadn't so much as scuffed his shoes. Marcellus stared in awe at the translucent, eight foot tall cross just beyond Lancer's hand. He had said he had a defensive Noble Phantasm, but Marcellus had never expected it to be _that_ powerful. The cross faded away and Lancer's hand dropped to his side.

"You blocked it." Archer said to Lancer, sounding half impressed, half put out. "The Brahmastra is a divinely ordained weapon that utterly annihilates its target without fail. And yet, you don't have a scratch on you."

"You used a divinely ordained arrow, I a divinely ordained shield." Lancer replied. Marcellus could tell he was smirking behind that scarf of his. "It would seem my god's protection was greater than your god's weapon."

Archer looked contemplative. "A barrier powerful enough to block a Brahmastra, that doesn't even take that much mana to use? There's some drawback to it, or a weakness that keeps you from being outright invincible, correct?"

"True." Lancer nodded. Seemingly oblivious to Marcellus' gestures to be quiet, he elaborated. "The Lord is willing to lend me a hand in protecting others, but even with His help I can only invoke that shield once a day."

Archer appeared amused by that for some reason. "A day marked by the hour, or the rising of the sun?"

"The sun."

"Lancer! What the hell?" To openly admit his Noble Phantasm's weakness to the enemy was beyond foolish. "Have you lost your mind? Now he knows he can kill us if he uses that attack again."

Archer grinned at Marcellus' words. "Your master is right, Lancer. Disclosing your weaknesses so openly isn't a very smart move. However, since I dislike receiving charity or being indebted, I'll return the favor. My Brahmastra has the same limitation, being only available for use once a day." She slung the bow over her back. "I've had enough for the evening. It's too early in the war to break out every trick in one's arsenal. Agreed, Servant of the western god?"

"Agreed, Servant of eastern gods."

"Then, I hope you last long enough for us to fight again." With those parting words, Archer leapt of the building and vanished as she fell. Marcellus let out a long, slow breath. That could have gone better. In the Holy Grail War, any battle where you use a Noble Phantasm was a risk that an observer could figure out your identity, much less the Servant you used it on if they walked away. Still, the same was true about Archer's Noble Phantasm, so it wasn't a total loss.

"Lancer, that display of power will attract attention. If not from the other masters, than the ordinary people at the very least. Let's get out of here."

* * *

AN: This chapter turned out to be longer than I expected it to be. I kept looking for a natural breaking point to divvy up the action, but there wasn't really one so I just barreled through. Anyway, this gives us the first look at some of the Heroic Spirits' skills and weapons. I tried to generally match the Nasuverse's themes when it comes to powers and skills, but I'm not sure if I did a great job. To be honest, the reason Lancer didn't name his Noble Phantasm is because I can't think of a good name for it outside of something lame like God's Shield or somesuch.

Confession time: I was trolling around the Type Moon wiki for skill ideas and it turns out one of my "original" Heroic Spirits was actually a character in some Fate media I hadn't seen yet. So I copied some of his skills and made some up on my own, making a proper mongrel. Gilgamesh would be so proud.

I'm debating whipping up some stat sheets for the Servants, what do you guys think? I might let it wait until more of their NPs and skills are revealed first, though.


End file.
